Heart of Steel
by PopRockShawty
Summary: ASGA spin-off. Introducing a Claudius Atherton you never knew — the man he was before he became the villain with a heart of steel that you know him as. And what happens when Prince Miraz doesn't get what he wants. And a pretty girl who suffered a not so pretty fate.


**A/n: This story is a spin-off of the series A Second Golden Age (ASGA). You do not need to have read ASGA before reading this, although for the best reading experience, it is recommend that you've read up to chapter 82 of Her Majesty The Queen (HMTQ) which is the 2nd volume of the series. Enjoy! :DDD**

* * *

 **(Selby Manor, Narnia)**

Some years ago, when Claudius Tarkaan was still Lord Claudius Atherton, it's easy to presume that his parents Lord and Lady Atherton were Baron and Baroness of Selby. But that was not the case. Claudius' father, originally supposed to be the next Baron, had married, in haste and out of passion, a woman of commoner roots, which had earned the formidable Baron's wrath and displeasure so great that he had ended up disinheriting his son, sent them far away from Selby and never saw them again. But before they were banished, the Baron had demanded that they leave their infant son Claudius behind. Since then, the child was raised by his unfeeling grandfather. Sometimes Gramps would show some degree of kindness, seeing as Claudius was the sole heir to the barony of Selby, and that he was an accomplished, competent youth. But there were other times when Gramps would spiral into a bad mood and curse when he was reminded of the boy's parentage.

When Claudius was of age, the time came for a suitable bride to be chosen for the lordling. Gramps had pulled some strings and had invited, one by one, altogether a dozen young noblewomen and their families to Selby Manor to be courted by Claudius. But Claudius, being the little rebel that he was, had taken all of those ladies — and some of their handmaids, occasionally — to bed, and none of them to wife. Even the highest-ranking of them all, Lady Eleanor from the esteemed Courtenay family of Archenland, was not exempted from Claudius' womanizing ways — even till this day she did not agree to give her hand in marriage to any of her suitors as she reckoned herself to be an impure and unclean woman after giving herself to Claudius and sharing his bed when they were not in an official relationship. Yet little did Claudius know of how his mistakes had impacted poor Eleanor.

Finally, Gramps had had enough. The boy was almost 20 years of age and still hadn't settled down. The man was old and needed hope that there would be a continued bloodline of Athertons to inherit the barony of Selby. It was their family's honor and legacy — after all, Selby was given to the Atherton family because of the remarkable contributions of the 1st Baron, who served as a Colonel and aided Caspian Trastamara, the First of His Name, the Conqueror, in establishing his rule over Narnia.

"Sit down, boy!" Gramps barked. "You'll not go anywhere. You'll not drink, you'll not misbehave yourself, you'll not bring me disgrace with your attitude. You'll be on your best behavior when the Steel family arrives. They will be arriving this afternoon with their young daughter, Lady Harriet, whose hand they are kind enough to be offering in marriage to you. Therefore, you'll receive these noble guests with proper conduct and etiquette expected of the future Baron of Selby. They are offering a substantial amount of money as dowry, so I pray you'll like her and wed her before you bed her. Otherwise our reputation will be just as ruined as the ladies you've shared your bed with and then discarded. Ruined, boy! You hear me? Ruined!"

"Yes, I do hear you, my Lord. And so can half of Narnia. What's the big deal, Gramps? Calm down! I'll say you're the one who's going to scare the visitors off with how noisy you are," said Claudius sardonically. In response, Gramps cursed loudly and the footman in the corner jumped. Claudius merely rolled his eyes. He was unamused and unimpressed with what Gramps had planned and arranged for him. He did not want to meet this Lady Harriet Steel, and he had reminded Gramps of that.

"Preposterous! Her Ladyship is most accomplished and genteel and lovely. She'll make a good bride for a grandson of mine!" Gramps stomped his feet and exclaimed.

"Oh? And you know this because you've met her before and you know all about her, don't you?" Claudius shot back sarcastically. "The dimples on her back at the bottom of her spine and each freckle on her face, if she's got any, you know all of them by heart, Gramps? Bet you do. She's probably got pimples and greasy hair. Ugly as fuck. And she's going to be absolutely boring or shallow or prudish or mousy-faced or pig-faced — or worse! What if she's all of the above? If she really turns out to be so...putrid, are you still going to think she's lovely and all that, huh? Still going to reckon her a good bride for a grandson of yours? Really?"

"Enough! Don't make me do to you what I did to your fool of a father, boy!" Gramps threatened. His face was so damn red now.

"If you like her so much, Gramps, just marry her already. I promise I won't get mad or jealous," Claudius smirked and sat back, gesturing for a servant to refill his goblet. He knew Gramps was just trying to get him to shut up — Gramps wouldn't dare disinherit his only surviving kin. Otherwise there'd be no one to inherit Selby and that just wasn't happening. Safe in this knowledge, Claudius returned to his solar and lied down on the couch idly and flippantly, not caring about whatever was going to happen next.

There was a lot of hassle and a commotion as Gramps continued to bark at his steward, the butler, servants, maids, valets, grooms, footmen, and other attendants to prepare themselves for the coming of an important noble family. Claudius remained impassive the whole time and just closed his eyes but not falling asleep.

"My Lord! Lord Claudius!" A young page kept patting Claudius on the shoulder and would not stop squealing in excitement as he urged His Lordship to get up. Bells also rang to welcome the visitors.

"Dammit, quit using that squeaky voice, or I'll ring your head like a bell," Claudius frowned and grumbled, wishing to send the page away with a dismissive flick of his hand.

"But my Lord, she's a beauty! The hostlers had had a glimpse of her. The daughter of Lord and Lady Steel, she's an absolute beauty, absolutely stunning. You'll like her, my Lord!" The page continued zealously, and adamantly tugged at Claudius' arm.

Claudius was slightly intrigued. He knew this little page didn't call just everyone good-looking. The lady who stopped by Selby last month with her family — she looked really unflattering and not even Claudius was as repulsed by her as the page was. He hopped off the couch and swiftly got up, adjusting his clothes. Hurrying down the stairs, he barged into the antechamber.

"And may I present my daughter Harriet."

Claudius got there just in time to hear Lord Steel say that line. Demurely yet mysteriously, Lady Steel removed her daughter's veil, and now Claudius could see her face.

He opened his mouth but said nothing. He widened his eyes but saw nothing _but her_. The eye contact that they had shared had taken him completely by surprise and, having connected with her brown eyes, he could have exclaimed that she had the most gorgeous, most soulful, yet simply the prettiest pair of eyes he had ever seen. They bore a color sweeter than dark chocolate, and melted his aloofness completely. He found himself wholly mesmerized by her and could not take his eyes off of her.

As the veil came off, her flowy dark brown hair was completely exposed to him, but it only constituted part of her elegance. When her winsome smile graced her comely face, he was captivated and he held his breath as if his breathing would taint her pulchritude. Initially he had expected white lips and a pale face and dull eyes, but _this_ was what he got instead and never had he ever been gladder. It was like everything was in slow motion as he got to visually appreciate each feature of her incredibly pleasant countenance.

Given the sight of his prospective future bride, how could he even spare any thought to the realization that he didn't show up on time? Gramps shot him a death glare but he was so singularly focused on his beauteous lady that he would rather bask in her radiance than be embarrassed or apologetic. Nobody else glowered at him — on the contrary Lord and Lady Steel were extremely pleased and delighted that Claudius was joining them, and they would be both relieved and honored should he like their daughter and agree to marry her.

He couldn't bring himself to speak a single word, though. Not even a polite 'my Lady' because he wouldn't waste time on that. There was no way he would allow himself to miss out on a moment to enjoy the view. Today was the day that she showed up in his mansion, not at all gaudily but rather in a simple dress of goldenrod color that came second to her vitality. She was his ray of sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day. He would remember this day forever.

* * *

 **(Telmarine Castle, Narnia)**

Prince Miraz was not pleased. Not only was he once again reminded of how his brother, King Caspian IX, was under the control of his wife and queen, Adelaide Huntington of Norwalk, he also received the worst news he had heard in some time.

When Miraz was displeased, the servants fled in fear of his temper, and would only return to clean up the mess he'd make of the furniture. There was one man in particular, though, that did not. His personal esquire, Curtis Palomino of Lenexa. This esquire of his had no title, but if Miraz could be King, Curtis would be dubbed a Lord or a Sir at least. He was in the Prince's favor, and was considered by His Highness to be his best friend.

Swinging his fist in the air and kicking the table, Miraz fell back onto an armchair in fury. Curtis stood in the corner, readily yet cautiously rather than timidly.

"So it's true," Miraz seethed. "She will marry that lordling from Selby."

"Yes, Your Highness, I'm afraid so. The King's Majesty has given his blessing to the couple, and my acquaintances from Selby are also aware that the deal between the Atherton and Steel families are sealed."

"'The King's Majesty'," Miraz spat. "Why the fuck would my brother give his blessing to this marriage?! He could have arranged for Lady Harriet to be wed to me. To _me_!"

Curtis remained solemn and calm. "My Prince, I'm not sure if His Majesty knows —"

"Oh, he knows!" Miraz roared. "He knows. My brother dearest knows. He knows that I want Harriet. He just thinks it's a teenage crush. It is not. I want her, I want her, I want her! But he won't let me have her! Instead, he approves of her parents giving her away to the Atherton family! What is wrong with them?! Why in Narnia would they be happy with letting their daughter be nothing more than the future Baroness, when she could be a Princess consort?!"

"Then they must be fools, Prince Miraz. They are beneath you. Your Highness is too good for them. They are unworthy," said Curtis smoothly, with his silky, saccharine voice that disgusted many but was to Miraz's liking.

"Of course they are," Miraz nodded lividly. "But I don't understand. Clearly, she returns my affections. Otherwise, why would she have kissed me on the cheek?" He asked aloud, his voice deadly calm. "She kissed me right here, Curtis," he specified, pointing and tapping on his left cheek. "Right here. I remember it clearly."

* * *

 _Lady Harriet had just turned 16 that day. As her friend, Prince Miraz had got her something special for her birthday. She was the first ever woman that he had put so much thought into preparing a present for. As such, he must make sure that the gift would suit her, and so he opted for something feminine and delicate: a bracelet in sterling silver with a round amethyst._

" _Do you like it, my Lady?" He asked hopefully._

" _I like it very much, Your Highness. Thank you," she smiled. The prettiest smile he'd ever since, and it made him fall even harder for her. He was surprised when she giggled and leaned in to kiss him on his cheek._

* * *

As Miraz recounted these events to Curtis he found himself stroking the spot repeatedly, longing for her.

Curtis nodded. "I am certain that she returns your affections, my Prince," he replied, deciding to fuel His Highness' delusions and ego.

"I just want her," Miraz sniffled, sighing at the ceiling. "That's all I want. I wouldn't need anything else. She's perfect."

"Then you know what needs to be done in order to get what you want, Prince Miraz," Curtis said ominously. He was capable of just as much cruelty as Miraz was, if not even more so, but hardly anybody suspected it as he was just the Prince's shadow, and the Prince himself was under the King's shadow all along.

"Yes," Miraz nodded too. "I do know what I need to do. I'll go to her. I'll win her over. I'll make her mine. Whatever it takes."

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 **A/n: Any thoughts on the characters so far? Please review! ^.^**


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